The use of a shotgun in certain hunting, military, and police applications has been limited in the past because of inadequate range. The best shotgun slugs in the prior art have an accuracy of about a 2 inch drop at a range of 100 yards. The conventional shotgun slug drops about 10 inches in 100 yards. These shotgun slugs, however, are not usable at longer ranges (e.g., 300 meters) because their trajectory decays into the ground at this range. The shotgun ammunition of the present invention solves the difficulty of limited range experienced in the prior art. The shotgun ammunition of the present invention is usable at a range of 300 meters.
In many parts of the country, the hunting of large game, such as deer, is restricted to the use of shotguns. Locales with these types of restrictions are generally densely populated areas where a stray rifle bullet, which can have a range of well over a mile, would endanger human life. Since shot is not practical in large game hunting, there has been a focus in the prior art on developing a shotgun slug having an improved range while still retaining the accuracy necessary for hunting. The present invention improves the range in which a shotgun slug is usable from 100 yards to 300 meters.
Prior art shotgun ammunition have also had limited military application. Shotguns in the military have mainly been used by personnel who have short range requirements such as truck drivers, MPs (military police), and helicopter pilots. Shotguns are advantageous to these individuals, because they are relatively light. The shotgun ammunition of the present invention offers the benefits to these military personnel of a 300 meter range, as well as being able to carry more ammunition. The military presently use 12 gauge shotguns. Ammunition of the present invention can be used in a 0.20 gauge shotgun which is lighter and smaller ammunition than the 0.12 gauge shotgun.
In police applications, a rifle has limited use because of the potential for stray bullets having a range of over a mile. Such a stray bullet would endanger persons in urban settings. The advantage of the present invention is that the shotgun slug has a longer range (300 meters) than the prior art, yet it has a level trajectory that will drop to the ground at about 470 yards. The police presently use a 0.12 gauge shotgun. Ammunition of the present invention can be used in a 0.20 gauge shotgun which is lighter and smaller ammunition than the 0.12 gauge shotgun.
The main focus of the prior art devices has been to improve the range and accuracy of a shotgun slug for use with a smooth barreled rifle. Many of the techniques used in the development of slugs for a smooth barreled shotgun have been applied to a rifled barrel shotgun. For example, one feature of the prior art slugs used in a smooth-bore barrel shotgun is an enlarged outside diameter on the slug. Shotgun slugs having an outside diameter smaller than the bore tended to bounce as they moved through the barrel. This bouncing would effect the aerodynamic stability of the slug as it left the barrel thereby causing an inaccurate trajectory from where the slug was aimed. To improve this inaccuracy, cylindrical slugs having an outside diameter larger than the inside diameter of the barrel were formed with alternate vanes and grooves in the sidewall of the slug. In this vaned/grooved slug, its outside diameter was formed only slightly larger than the barrel to prevent over swagging of the vanes. As the slug moved through the barrel, the grooves allowed for a radially inward swagging action which centered the slug. Such slugs, however, have only been able to obtain a range of 100 yards with an accuracy of a 2 inch drop.
Another slug, which was formed for a rifled barrel, included a plastic sabot. The plastic sabot is a jacket that fits around the bore and spins the slug as it passes through the rifling of the barrel upon firing. The plastic sabot is usually disintegrated or falls off during firing.